Fort Bend County's property tax rate is dropping after commissioners approved an $841 million budget and a lower rate in a contentious 3-2 vote Thursday, Sept. 10.

For Katy and Fulshear homeowners, the adopted rate of 40.7 cents per $100 of taxable value means an estimated county tax bill of about $1,182 on the median homestead value of $290,480. That is roughly $15 less than what the originally proposed rate of 41.2 cents would have produced, according to Covering Katy. The half-cent reduction is expected to lower projected county revenue by about $6.4 million. The county is still projected to maintain nearly $94 million in its general fund balance.

The budget passed along party lines. Republican Commissioners Vincent Morales and Andy Meyers joined interim County Judge Daniel Wong in voting yes. Democratic Commissioners Grady Prestage and Dexter McCoy dissented.

The tax rate vote carried 4-0 after a dramatic sequence. McCoy abruptly left the courtroom following a heated argument between Meyers and Wong, abstaining from the vote. Prestage asked Wong to recuse himself, then sat silent for several minutes before voting in favor.

"I believe we can do better for Fort Bend County taxpayers," Wong said during the meeting.

The outcome averted a worst-case scenario. Texas law requires at least four commissioners present to levy a tax rate. Had Democrats boycotted the vote, as they had boycotted court sessions for weeks this summer, the county would have defaulted to the no-new-revenue rate of about 39.6 cents. County finance officials said that fallback could have cost Fort Bend roughly $21 million in revenue, forcing cuts to services and employee pay. County Auditor Ed Sturdivant warned in August that adopting the no-new-revenue rate could pause mobility, infrastructure, parks and flood mitigation projects.

What changed in the budget

The adopted budget trims the cost-of-living adjustment for county employees from 3% to 2.5%. It also eliminates funding for three associate judge positions by year's end, dropping the funded count from eight to five. Commissioners did not publicly explain why.

Associate district court Judge Argie Brame warned the cuts could strain the court system and risk state funding for specialty courts handling felony probation. Judge Christian Becerra of the 434th District Court said eliminating the positions could create backlogs in cases involving Fort Bend County families, including child custody matters.

The budget also moves 11 staff members and funding from elected County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson's office to a newly created civil legal department reporting directly to Commissioners Court. Meyers said the shift addressed concerns over "questionable counsel and partisan actions" and was about ensuring the court "receives competent and reliable legal counsel." Smith-Lawson was in the audience and visibly shook her head several times during the discussion, Houston Public Media reported. No public response from Smith-Lawson on the restructure appears in county records as of publication.

Political backdrop

The votes came amid an ongoing legal dispute over Wong's authority to serve. Wong was appointed in April by a visiting Galveston County district court judge. Former County Judge KP George was convicted of federal money laundering in June. Wong is the Republican nominee for county judge and will face McCoy, the Democratic nominee, in November.

Before the vote, Prestage, McCoy, State Sen. Borris Miles and State Rep. Ron Reynolds held a press conference outside the courthouse. McCoy accused Wong and Republican commissioners of using the budget to retaliate against political opponents.

A public hearing is set for Sept. 24, according to the Sept. 10 meeting agenda.